PRACTICE
Practice. Everyone says that you must practice to improve. This is true, but I find this to be a very vague statement. Practice on what?
Scales? Learning songs? Looking in the mirror and working on my pose? I used to ask players how they got to be so successful at music.
There again, I would get vague answers, for example: "Get your band together, then get some gigs, play for the record executives,
tour, be sure to release records, and when you sell out Madison Square Garden, be sure to make sure the dressing room is catered.”
When I would hear this, I would ask, “Well, how did find your band members?” Some wouldn’t have a clue. One person simply said, “They
all needed a gig.” I didn’t really get that at the time. I do now. So, when someone tries to oversimplify the process, and eludes to the
“practice a lot” answer, it hits me the same way. It’s not that simple. Anyway, back to the practice thing. Yes, you do need to practice.
I would also point out that you need to change strings every once in awhile, read guitar magazines, hang out with other musicians, etc.
It’s all a balance. In other words, if all you do is sit in your room and practice scales, then……
what? Again, it’s all a balance. Now, you might be asking, "Well-Mr. Expert, what do you suggest?" Well, that depends.
What kind of player
do you see yourself as? What type of music really grabs you? If you are playing purely for enjoyment and recreation, then, you can
just go with the flow, take your time, and just work on songs or whatever you feel is necessary. Of course, you want to improve,
which does require practice. On the other extreme, if you want to be a professional guitarist and make it in the music business, then
you must consider 1000 other things. The fact that you may practice a lot becomes less important, although I will also point out that
the best time to put in hours and hours of practice is in the beginning, especially when you are young. If you got a late start, allow
yourself more time (a few years) to make noticeable progress, because you have less time now, correct? If you practice strumming the
same chord over and over, this is limiting. If you only learn songs, this is limiting as well. Overall, one must be driven by music.
There must be some aspect of the music that inspires you. Go with that! Sometimes you can really like a certain artist, but deep down,
you are nothing like him or her. There’s a fine line between these two things.
So, what should you practice? There is no right answer to this. However, I will suggest a few things.
1) Focus on learning songs 70% of the time. This is what it’s all about. Through the songs you will discover what your
weaknesses are, and you will improve naturally. 2) Do not practice while watching TV. 3) Get a
subscription to a guitar
magazine, practice the columns, and read all of the interviews. 4) Get a band. If you don’t have a band, or you are
like me,
find this to be extremely difficult, get a four track recorder and record your practice sessions. Also, don't forget to
record the sessions using a click track. 5) Hang out with musicians
who
are more advanced than yourself.
6) Get a good guitar teacher. I could list all of the hundreds of reasons why I feel you should do
these six things, but I’ll save that for another time. Just trust me on this.
Also, the word “practice” sounds sort of like work, doesn’t it? I prefer the the word “playing”. Sounds more fun. Personally, some
of my best “practice sessions” are when I’m not watching the clock and I am just absorbed into the music. That’s when I make progress.
Ironically, it then appears as though I have really worked hard and practiced. I play a lot because I enjoy it. That’s the original reason
why we all picked up the guitar in the first place, right?
Finally, I will say, yeah, you must practice.
John Ezell
Guitar Instructor
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